2023 Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 177 schools in the Southeast Region to see which graduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region of the U.S.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named University of Virginia - Main Campus the best school in the Southeast Region for students working on their graduate certificate.
University of Virginia does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 75% took at least some of their classes online.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Duke University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Southeast Region .
Graduate Certificate recipients from Duke accumulate an average of $17,440 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Duke does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 2% took at least some of their classes online.
The excellent graduate certificate programs at Virginia Tech helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in the Southeast Region .
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Virginia Tech does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 63% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 177 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Hodges University landed the # 4 spot on the list.
Since the graduate programs at International College are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Vanderbilt University is a great place for students working on their graduate certificate.
Vanderbilt does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 67% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
North Carolina State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #6 on the list.
On average, graduate certificate students take out $18,885 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at NC State. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 78% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Augusta University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #7 on the list.
By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,834 in student loans.
Augusta University does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 49% took at least some of their classes online.
Auburn University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #8 on the list.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Auburn. In fact, around 35% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
George Mason University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #9 on the list.
One thing to take note of is that GMU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 87% took at least some of their classes online.
Piedmont College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Piedmont College. In fact, around 88% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
William & Mary came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
William & Mary does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 85% took at least some of their classes online.
Clemson University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Clemson. In 2019-2020 about 69% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Eastern Mennonite University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Eastern Mennonite. In fact, around 82% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
American Public University System did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #14 on the list.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out American Military University. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Emory University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region list.
Online graduate courses are available at Emory, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Georgia College & State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.
Online graduate courses are available at Georgia College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 96% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
University of Georgia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #17 on the list.
Graduate Certificate recipients from UGA accumulate an average of $20,917 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at UGA. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 18% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Furman University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Furman. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 8% took at least some of their classes online.
Valdosta State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at VSU. In 2019-2020 about 90% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Columbia Southern University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.
Graduate Certificate recipients from Columbia Southern University accumulate an average of $31,086 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Interested in an online degree? Then you definitely want to check out Columbia Southern University. Every graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
University of Florida did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #21 on the list.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UF does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 79% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Wake Forest University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students to get a graduate certificate. It came in at #22 on the list.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at Wake Forest University. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 67% took at least some of their classes online.
University of West Georgia landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at University of West Georgia. In fact, around 95% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Florida Gulf Coast University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at FGCU. In fact, around 62% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate programs.
Online graduate courses are available at UNC Charlotte, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 82% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Read full report on University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Rest of the Top 15% Best Graduate Certificate Schools in the Southeast Region of the U.S.
Not only did these schools make the top 27 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our best schools ranking:
| Rank | School | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
| 29 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | Charleston, SC |
| 30 | University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL |
| 31 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 32 | University of Richmond | University of Richmond, VA |
| 33 | East Carolina University | Greenville, NC |
| 34 | Lipscomb University | Nashville, TN |
| 35 | Samford University | Birmingham, AL |
| 36 | University of West Alabama | Livingston, AL |
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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